Wrench



J. C. MAHAN.

WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18. 1920.

1,408,622. Patentedmar. 7,1922.

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WRENCH S APPLICATION FILIYZD IUNE18. 1920- 1 Patented M21127, 1922.

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C? M l ATTORNEYS JAMES CURTIS MAHAN, 0F LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

Application iiled June 18, 1920. flerial No. 389,907.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES Cunris MAI-IAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lincoln, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in renches, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention is an improvement in wrenches, and has for its object to provide a device of the character specified especially adapted for twisting together wire cables in woven wire fences, and drawing cables around the end and corner posts, wherein a head is provided, consisting of sections hinged together and detachably connected and adapted to embrace the wires to be twisted, together. with pivotally connected members having jaws for rotatably engaging the head, said head and jaws having interengaging means for constraining the head to turn in one direction when the jaws are vibrated.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of wrench;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is a section in the plane of the head;

Figure 4 is a side view showing the head open;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the head.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the tool in operation.

In the present embodiment of the invention the improved head consists of sections 1 and 2, each of which is substantially semi-circular, and they are hinged together at one side, as indicated at Each section, as shown more particularly in Figures 2 and 5, consists of a hub portion having radial flanges at each end thereof, and the hub portion of the section 2 is cut away at one end, to receive a circumferentially extending lug 4; on the hub portion of the other section.

This lug is received between the flanges of the section and is pivotally connected to the flanges by a pivot pin 5. The outer part of the hub portion of the section 1 is also cut away from near the lug i to the opposite end to receive an are shaped latch member 6 which is pivoted intermediate its ends be tween the flanges on a pivot pin 7. A coil spring 8 is arranged between the hub portion of the section 1 and that end of the latch the improved adjacent to the pivot pin 5, and this spring acts normally to force the other end of the latch toward the section 2. This other end has a catch 9 which is adapted to engage a radial projection 10 on the hub portion oi the section 2. The latch member is between the flanges of the section 1, and the spring makes of the latch a spring latch normally operative.

The outer face of the catch 9 is beveled as shown in Figure 3, for engagement by the section 2, to open the latch when the free ends of the sections are swung together. The flanges of the two sections have ratchet teeth 11 and these teeth are adapted to be en gaged by the ends of a of the sections l3 of the pliers section of the wrench. This section of the wrench consists of the handle members 18 and 14, which are pivotally connected in crossed relation, as indicated at 15, and whose jaws are recessed to engage the hub portion ofthe :head.

A spring 16 acts normally to force the jaws toward each other on thehead. One of the flanges of the head .has an extension, indicated at 17 in'Figures2 and 4, and this extension has an opening 18 and a recess 19, the recess being at the end of the extension and at the flat face of the head section. The section 2 has an extension 20 against whose end the free end of the extension 17 is adapted to abut when the heads are closed, to close the notch or recess 19. One of the wires 21 to be twisted passes through this recess 19 during the twisting and the recess acts as a layer for the wire on the other wire indicated at 22.

In operation, the improved wrench is especially adapted to work within a small space, as for instance, a one inch space. Fence cables are spliced by holding both wires firmly together, while the loose ends are wrapped in opposite directions, one at a time, the head being turned until the end of the wire 21 disappears from the recess 19. The handles must be removed from the head and the head released from the cable after each half of the splice isfinished, which should be about one inch in length on the cable to prevent slipping, and the head then moved over and fastened on the cable on the opposite side. The handles are placed and the other half of the splice finished. The central bore in the head receives one wire or cable at a time and the coil is always adjacent the recess 19 or the cross head 12 [011 one head slipping idly over bore 18, and the head rotates freely on the cable.

In operation, the head is snapped into place on the cable, with one of the wires to be wrapped extending through the recess 19, The handles are then placed, and the head is rotated. until the end of the wire disappears into the recess 19. The handle is now removed, as is also the head, and the head is placed on the opposite side of the coil, after which the other end is wrapped in the same manner.

In tying about a post the cable is passed about the post, with the loose end of the wire crossing the body of the cable. loose end is placed in the recess 19, the cable being in the bore of the head. lVith the handle in place and the head rotated, it will be obvious that the loose end of: the wire will be wrapped about the body of the cable, forming a perfect tie.

WVhen the head is closed the handle portion of the device, this is, the pliers section, is engaged with the head in such manner that the cross head 12 will engage the ratchet teeth on the flanges. When now the pliers or handle portion is swung the head will be rotated in one direction, the cross the ratchet teeth in the opposite direction.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a twisting head comprising a pair of sec tions, each including a hub portion and radial flange portions, the hub portion of one of said sections having a circumferential This one

extending lug, the hub portion of the other section being cut away to receive said lug, means cooperating with the lug for pivotally connecting the sect-ions together, the hub portion carrying said lug being also cut away to provide a cavity, an are shaped latch operating in said cavity and pivotally connected to the adjacent section, a catch. secured to the other section and cooperable with said latch, a coil spring engaging said latch and urging the same into position to be engaged with said catch, said sections being provided with means for engaging the wire to be twisted, the radial flange portions of said sections having ratchet teeth and a handle consisting of pivotally connected handle members having jaws embracing the hub portion of said head and one of said jaws having a cross head engageable with the ratchet teeth whereby the handle may be utilized to rotate the head in one direction.

2. In a device of the character described a twisting head having an axial here, said head comprising a pair of sections pivotally connected together, latch means for releasably securing the sections to each other, one of said sections having a lateral extension provided with a recess, the other of said sections having an extension abutting the extension of the other and closing said recess when said sections are secured together by said latching means, and 'means for rotating said twisting head.

JAMES CURTIS MAHAN. 

